waited long enough
by mookitano
Summary: This is just my idea of how Merlin's life was while he was waiting for Arthur to return. Mostly set in modern times with some flashbacks. No slash just bromance.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The lift came to a stop on the third floor and an old man with a long white beard stepped off carrying a weeks worth of groceries. As he walked toward his flat he pulled a key from his pocket. Just before he reached the door his neighbor walked out into the hall. He was hoping he would run into her sometime this week, he wanted to talk to her about some things.

Mrs. Finch was the kindhearted, 73-year-old widow who lived in the flat next door. She was always looking out for her neighbors and she had been the first one to come and introduce herself after he moved in.

"Oh, hello Ed. How are you this lovely evening?" He had to remind himself that he was going by Ed these days. It wasn't his name but when you've been around for nine hundred years, give or take a few decades, you find that its easier to have multiple identities.

"Good, good, and you?"

"Oh it's been great. My daughter brought her children over this afternoon and we had a grand time. I see you did some shopping."

"Yes, my grandson is coming to stay with me for a bit. I thought he might like some of that instant microwave food that the university students always seem to want."

"Oh how lovely." She exclaimed with a smile.

"Yes, quite."

"Is he going to stay long?" She asked kindly.

"For a year or two, I just thought I'd let you know because he will be coming and going at odd hours and I didn't want you to worry about him being a burglar or something." She didn't seem to detect the deception in his voice so he continued. "He's attending university to become a physician you see? And I needed some help around here, so I figured if he lived here he wouldn't have to pay rent and I could get the help I needed."

"Is everything alright dear?" She asked with genuine concern scrawled across her face.

"Oh yes, everything's quite alright I'm just getting on in years and my daughter doesn't like the idea of me living here all by myself." He lied smoothly. He was, in fact, in _very_ good health for someone his age, it was highly unlikely that he would die any time soon.

"What's your grandsons name? If you don't mind my asking?"

"Merlin" He answered with a smile.

"Well that's unique. I don't think I've ever met someone named Merlin before."

"It's a family name. I tried to talk my daughter out of it. You know, give him a more modern name like Alex, or Colin. But she's always been stubborn and once she makes up her mind there's no reasoning with her." Yet another lie fell from the man's lips easily. He actually liked the name Merlin, it was, after all, the name his mother had given him when he was born. And he definitely preferred it above any of the other names he had given himself over the years.

Merlin's heart ached slightly with the thought of his mother. He missed her terribly. She had died hundreds of years ago along with every other person he'd ever cared about. He wondered, not for the first time, why anyone would want to live forever? It wasn't all it was chalked up to be. Honestly, it was quite lonely and he would never wish the fate on anyone. Merlin shook the thoughts from his head and tried to resume his role as Ed, the soft-spoken, octogenarian who was, at that moment, having a lovely conversation with his neighbor.

The conversation ended soon and Merlin took his groceries in and put them away. He was glad he had run into Mrs. Finch she would prove to be very helpful in killing Ed and bringing Merlin's new identity out. He had used this game play for quite some time. He would move into a new town as a young man in his early twenties and then slowly grow older like everybody else. Once he reached his eighty's, or at least looked like he'd reached his eighty's, he would stage his own death and then start over. Some times he would make up family, a son or daughter that lives far away, a wife who died several years earlier, a brother who was married and living in the states. It was only recently that he came up with the idea of creating a grandson or great-nephew who was going to live with him for a while. That way he could stay in one place longer because the people would think he was two different people and it also helped him fake his death easier if he had "another person" telling his neighbors that he was in the hospital and the doctors didn't expect him to live much longer.

He "died" differently each time so as not to raise suspicion. He'd lived through enough witch hunts to know that people didn't take kindly to sorcerers. Merlin had a personal knowledge that people were afraid of things they didn't understand and, as the last living sorcerer, he knew that all the people without magic wouldn't understand him. As a result they would fear him. Fear causes people to behave rashly and when people behave rashly someone ends up injured or dead. Merlin had spent his extremely long life trying to avoid that outcome. Though some days he wished he had died back in the 6th century along with all of his friends, at least he wouldn't be alone then. But he knew he couldn't, he had to wait for Arthur. If he had known he'd have to wait this long for that royal pain in the ass. . .

It hadn't always been that way. There was a short time in his life when he was revered and respected for his title as court sorcerer. He had worked hard for that respect and had lost a lot of friends in the process. He didn't do it just for himself though, at the time there were hundreds of sorcerers who were being persecuted for practicing magic. A tyrannical King was seeking revenge for the death of his beloved wife. He had asked a witch to help his barren Queen conceive an heir but he didn't know that for the witch to give life to the child she would have to take a life away. So the King got his son but lost his wife in the process. He became bitter and his hatred for magic grew everyday until it consumed his every thought and action. In his mind anyone practicing magic was evil and should be sentenced to death. He did his best to instill his son with those same ideals.

Merlin was born during this time and he spent his entire childhood, hiding who he really was, in fear of being executed. He could vaguely remember the first time he saw an execution. He was 6 and his mother had taken him into town with her to buy some material for new clothes. He had never been to town before, mother usually left him with Will's mother, while she went into town. Merlin had never seen so many people in one place and he stared in wonder at the large crowd before him. They were all gathered in the middle of town and there was a woman on top of some wood.

At the time Merlin didn't know that the wood the woman was standing on was a pyre. A man got up in front of all the people and announced that the woman had been found guilty of practicing magic and she was sentenced to death. Then they light the wood on fire and watched the woman burn. That was when the nightmares started. Merlin often woke, screaming, from dreams of being burned alive. To be completely honest even after fifteen hundred years he still had nightmares of burning at the stake. His mother tried to reassure him, but the young boy believed that he had done something terribly wrong and he was going to die because of it.

"Merlin you didn't do anything wrong. Did you choose to have magic?" His mother would ask when he expressed his fears of being an evil sorcerer.

"No, I didn't choose it. I was born with it mother you know that." He had answered.

"Magic is not evil child, and it's not a curse. It is a gift, you are special Merlin."

"I wish I wasn't special." He grumbled. "If it's not evil why is it against the law?" At 6 years old Merlin was still struggling to understand his so-called "gift". He just wished he could be normal like all the other boys his age.

"It's against the law because the person who makes the laws doesn't have magic so he doesn't understand it." She stated simply. "Tell me this Merlin. Is a sword evil?"

"No mother a sword is not evil." Merlin answered in a confused tone.

"What about a pitch fork? Is a pitch fork evil?"

"No."

"But you can use a sword to kill someone can't you?" Merlin couldn't quite figure out what his mother was trying to say. _Maybe she has gone mad _he thought.

"Yes, that is what swords are for"

"You could use the same sword to protect someone could you not?" Again Merlin answered with a yes.

"You can also use a pitch fork to kill someone if you wanted to. But that's not what it's made for. The pitch fork was mad to help farmers move hay." Mother continued.

"I don't understand mother. What does this all have to do with magic?" Merlin asked exasperated.

"Magic is like the pitch fork or the sword." Merlin stared at his mother like she had grown a second head. She definitely wasn't making sense anymore. "What I mean is, magic is a tool. It's meant to be used to help and protect not to harm."

From then on Merlin tried to believe his mothers words. Tried to believe that he did have a special gift. He still couldn't help but wonder if he was in fact cursed though.

Merlin was in his late teens when he left his mother and moved to Camelot. Mother had been worried that the people in their village would learn of Merlin's magic if he stayed much longer. The last thing a mother ever wants to do is bury her only child. So she sent him to live with an old friend who might be able to help him learn to use his powers for good. That is when Merlin met Arthur.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Prince was a prat. Of that Merlin was sure. But the great dragon said that Arthur, yes Arthur Pendragon, would be the greatest King Camelot would ever know. And the only way he could succeed was with Merlin's help. It was destiny. Merlin wasn't sure if he believed what the oversized lizard was telling him. First of all, the Arthur he knew was a complete idiot, and secondly they hated each other. How was Merlin supposed to help someone who wanted to kill him? And probably would if he ever found out his secret. It was insane. But as _luck_ would have it Merlin would use his magic to save the Prince's life which would result in the King appointing him as Arthur's personal man-servant. Now if the King had know that Merlin had used magic to save his son's life the outcome would have been _slightly_ different.

. . . . . . . .

Merlin sat at the table alone, lost in thought as he ate his supper. He couldn't help but wonder what Arthur would think of this new world. A lot had changed since the fall of the great King and Merlin tried to think of how he was going to explain all of the new technological advances. He was reminded yet again why he had to wait for Arthur to rise. He wouldn't want his King, his best friend, to come into this strange and sometimes terrifying world all alone with no one there to guide him.

Merlin had witnessed all the changes the world had undergone. From the dark ages to the age of enlightenment and on through the millennium. He saw many wars, World War one, the French revolution, World War two, the Vietnam war, and so on. He saw the implementation of electricity and indoor plumbing, he actually rode in one of the first motor vehicles. He now lived in a three bedroom flat with a 62" flat screen and wireless internet. He couldn't imagine waking up after fifteen hundred years to this world without someone there to ease the transition. That's why he waited.

The prophecy said Arthur was the "Once and Future King" and when Albion's need was greatest Arthur would rise again to reclaim his kingdom. The only problem was: the prophecy didn't say exactly when that would be and Merlin was skeptical. Still, he waited. Even when Camelot fell, three generations after Arthur's death. Merlin had been certain that Arthur would rise to save his kingdom then. He hadn't and Merlin started to lose faith in the prophecy's. But he had learned from experience that the prophecy's do not lie. So he waited, and waited . . . and waited.

He was there when Arthur's son and daughter, Arthur and Alicia, were born, just 7 months after Arthur's death, he was there when Gaius died, and he was the one who buried the last original knight of the round table, Sir Leon, who died at a ripe old age one night in his sleep. He was there, standing next to Gwen when her son was crowned King, and when her daughter married. He was the court appointed sorcerer throughout Arthur Pendragon the second's reign, and his son's, and his son after that.

He could still remember them all, still see their faces as if they were standing right in front of him. Merlin stopped that thought in it's tracks and pushed the rest of his supper away no longer hungry. He didn't want to think about Arthur, or Gwen. He didn't want to think about Camelot. It hurt too much. He put a movie in to serve as a distraction and soon fell asleep on the couch. Only to awake a few hours later in a cold sweat. It was the dream that had woken him, it was always the same. Standing on the edge of the cliff, looking down over Arthur and the knights as they fought for their lives in the valley below. The false hope after he'd defeated the Saxons and the dragon only to find that he wasn't in time to save Arthur. The dream always seemed so real. Merlin could feel every emotion that he felt that day, he could hear the sound of Arthur's labored breath as they traveled to the shi in hopes that they could heal Arthur's wound, he could still feel the weight of Arthur's limp and lifeless body as he tried to carry him the rest of the way when he could no longer walk.

The dream always brought with it the painful memories of that fateful day. The one day Merlin wished he could forget. The day he lost his other half. On more than one occasion Merlin was told that he and Arthur were like two sides of the same coin, and he felt it. He knew what they meant. When he and Arthur were apart it always felt as if something was missing. They needed each other more than either of them would ever admit. When Merlin first met Arthur he was sure that the stuck up Prince hated him but the dragon said something along the lines of "one half cannot truly hate the other, blah blah blah." And for some reason Merlin believed him. It didn't take long for them to become friends.

Arthur may not have understood why but he cared a lot for Merlin. Everyone could see it: Arthur's fondness for the servant. Even the knights came to accept Merlin when Arthur would drag him along on some dangerous quest. Part of the reason Arthur liked Merlin so much was because he wasn't afraid to stand up to him. He was the first servant Arthur had ever had that didn't treat him like a Prince, this servant was brave enough to insult the crowned Prince of Camelot. Even after Arthur became King Merlin was still trying to tell him what to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin had decided to attend medical school for the third time simply because he could and it was one field of study that was constantly changing. He also liked to help people.

It was during a regular day in the emergency room when he first felt it. He didn't know what exactly it was that he was feeling but he knew it was something to do with magic. It was his first year as an intern at the hospital and he had already earned the respect of many of the doctors on staff. He was a fast learner and the fact that he had been a physician since Gaius had passed helped him better treat the sick and afflicted.

A young girl came in with a nasty looking cut on her hand and the nurse tending to her was having a hard time getting the child to hold still and stop crying. As soon as Merlin had a free moment he went to see if he could help in any way. The girl couldn't have been more than 5 and she was too afraid of the shot the nurse was trying to give her. Without the numbing shot they wouldn't be able to stitch up the gash, but the girl didn't seem to care she just didn't want a shot. Merlin knelt in front of the girl so he was at her eye level.

"Hello, my name's Merlin what's yours?" he asked trying to distract the child while the nurse worked.

"Grace" she hiccupped as a few more tears slid down her cheeks.

"Grace, such a pretty name for a pretty girl." he smiled as the young girl blushed. "Do you want to see a magic trick?" Grace nodded bashfully. The warlock closed his eyes and then reached behind Grace's ear. It was pretty much the same as the "pulling a coin out of your ear" trick only he used real magic and it wasn't a coin he pulled out of her ear, it was a small pink flower. He opened his eyes after he was sure the gold had faded from them and pretended to look shocked at the flower he was holding in his hand.

"Well would you look at that? I was going to pull a coin out of your ear but a flower is much better. Wouldn't you say so?" he handed the flower to the giggling child just as the nurse was finishing the last stitch.

Grace took the flower with a shy "thank you" and then turned to show her mother what she had gotten. The nurse put some bandages over the freshly stitched wound as the girl's mother walked over to thank Merlin. He just shrugged as if pulling flowers out of little girls ears was a common occurrence for him and for all she knew it could have been.

"How old?" The nurse asked as soon as her young patient had gone.

"What do you mean?" Merlin was confused and for a second he wondered if she was even speaking to him. After a look around he realized there was nobody else she could be speaking to.

"How old is your child?"

"I don't have any children." He was really confused now. Why would she think he was a father?

"I'm sorry, I just assumed. . . I mean you're really good with kids. I guess I just thought you would have one of your own." She looked embarrassed and Merlin had to fight the urge to say "you know what happens when you assume? You make an ass out of you and me" If it had been a friend he wouldn't have hesitated but he didn't know this nurse and he didn't want to offend her.

"No it's fine, I don't have children of my own but I have helped my friend out with her twins. Her husband died just before they were born and she needs help. So I guess with all the time I've spent around her children I've just become more comfortable with kids." It was kind of true. He did help Gwen a lot when her twins were born. The only real lie was the fact that those children had grown, raised children of their own and grand children before they were finally laid to rest in the same lake as their parents.

"Oh that's very kind of you. She's lucky to have such a close friend." The nurse smiled and then she was called by one of the doctors for assistance with a patient.

Merlin was relieved that she had been called away. He didn't like talking about the time he spent in Camelot after Arthur's death. If he was being honest he didn't know why he'd even said anything. He could have made up a different story, maybe a sister who has children or young cousins that needed looking after. But he'd been thinking about Camelot a lot as of late and of the friends who had all left him. He didn't blame them for leaving, they were mortal they grew old and then died. The same thing he had expected to happen to him eventually. What he hadn't known was that the day he went to the crystal cave to get his magic back would change him forever.

He had been so distraught when he realized that Morgana had stolen his magic. For him losing his magic was like losing an arm or a leg. It was a part of him, had been since the day he was borne and he didn't know how to live without it. He also knew that without his magic he would never be able to stop Mordred. Telling Arthur that he could not accompany him and the knights to Camlann was the hardest thing he had ever done but he knew that without his powers he would be useless to the King and his army.

He still looks back on those days and wonders: if he had known how it would all end would he have done anything differently? If he'd known that he would lose the best friend he had ever had and then be cursed to walk this cold cruel world alone for century upon century. Would he still have traveled to the crystal cave? Or would he have rode out with Arthur and died on the battlefield at his King's side? Well if he were being honest he probably wouldn't have died. He had a destiny to fulfill after all but then so did Arthur and he died. Merlin had to remind himself that Arthur was coming back. The prophecy's don't lie. They didn't lie when they said that Arthur would unite Albion, they didn't lie when they said that Arthur would die at Camlann by Mordred's hand and they didn't lie when they said that Merlin would be Morgana's doom. So he had to believe that they weren't lying this time. Arthur would return and Merlin would be there to serve and protect his King once again.

**. . . . . . . . . **

Merlin walked through the corridor of the hospital looking for anyone who might need his assistance. Just as he was about to round the corner and start down another corridor he felt it. It was as if the breath had been knocked out of him and he had to stop walking to ease the dizziness that overcame him. The sudden urge to re-examine his breakfast made him run to the nearest toilet. After his stomach had emptied its self of its contents Merlin decided to call it a day and go home.

He was headed for home but for some reason he found himself on a road he knew well. A road that led to a beautiful lake with an island in the middle that held the crumbled remains of a great tower. Before he knew it he was standing just a few inches from the water. Just staring out over the crystal surface, looking for something. Merlin wasn't sure why he had come to the lake but the feeling that had been nagging at him all morning had finally eased up and a quiet calm overcame him. The lake didn't look any different than it had, the last time he had seen it, two weeks ago. It felt different. He could feel the magic emanating from the water. Reaching out to touch him with a soft caress.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The lonely man, who wasn't feeling quite so alone anymore, sat at the edge of the lake for three days barely moving. Only taking a few minutes on the first night to call in to the hospital to let them know he wouldn't be in for a few days. He told them he had the flu and after the vomiting episode earlier that day they accepted his story without question. He had used his magic to age his appearance because an old man sitting by a lake wouldn't draw as much attention as a young man would. People tended to over look him when he was the old man, they didn't ask him why he was sitting alone. It was almost as if he became invisible.

He watched the sun set on the third day and wondered if it was all just his mind playing a trick on him. Maybe he really was ill, or he had finally gone mad. Century upon century had worn away his sanity to the point of imagining things that weren't real. It wouldn't be the first time.

The warlock slowly got to his feet and turned toward his car thinking of a nice warm meal and his soft bed. He hadn't realized how tired and hungry he was until that moment. Merlin couldn't wait to get home and pretend this little moment of insanity never happened. He would return to his life and his job and go on living like he did every day because he really had no other choice.

"What_ are_ you wearing?"

Merlin stopped dead in his tracks as a wave of emotions swept through him. He didn't dare turn around, too afraid that no one would be there. Or was he afraid that someone would be? He didn't know, all he knew was that this wasn't how he expected it would go. Merlin wasn't sure what he expected, maybe bright lights as Arthur ascended from the heavens, or waves crashing around him as he rose from the depths of the lake. Not this, understated, calm return with no fanfare or spectacular displays of magic to announce the return of the King. It was all very uneventful, anyone passing by wouldn't have even given the two men a second glance.

The warlock slowly turned to face his king with a mixture of dread and unparalleled joy. Arthur stood just three feet away in a simple white tunic and brown breeches. He didn't look any different from the last time Merlin had seen him, well aside from the fact that this time he was alive and staring back at Merlin with an inquisitive look.

"Well don't just stand there with that stupid look on your face. Go fetch some horses. I assume you've brought at least one with you. I would like to be back in Camelot before the sun rises. We've got a lot of work to-" Before Arthur could finish his tirade Merlin pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

The King was taken off guard with the sudden display of affection, but he found himself hugging the warlock back with just as much emotion. He hadn't realized just how much he missed Merlin and the rest of his friends. He couldn't wait to see them all again, especially Guinevere. Arthur wasn't sure exactly how long he had been gone and with Merlin's fondness for aging his appearance Arthur couldn't tell if he really had grown old in his absence or if he was using magic to appear older. He hoped it was the latter of the two because that would mean things hadn't changed much. If Merlin was still a young man then everyone else would still be young.

"So are you going to tell me why you're walking around looking like _that_ or are you just going to leave me guessing?" Arthur asked after Merlin released him.

Merlin looked down at himself "Oh, right" With a flash of his eyes the warlock's hair grew shorter and darker, his beard disappeared and the wrinkles in his skin smoothed out.

"That's better. Lets go, you can fill me in on what I've missed before we get home." The King started walking toward where he though Camelot was. Merlin hesitated not sure how to tell Arthur that "Home" wasn't actually home anymore.

"Um, you see Sire it's not. . . I mean you're not. . .Well home isn't. . . "

"Isn't what?" Arthur turned to face the servant.

"Home isn't there anymore." Merlin mumbled

"What _are_ you talking about Merlin?"

"Well a lot changed while you were. . . away." Merlin didn't want to say dead. He wasn't sure if Arthur had known that he had died or if he just thought he had been knocked unconscious.

"How long have I been dead?" Arthur had no such qualms with the word and he didn't like beating around the bush. He wanted straight answers.

"So you do remember?"

"Well dying's sort of hard to forget."

"Right, of course." The warlock mumbled.

"What I don't know is: how long I was dead." Arthur said looking at Merlin expectantly. " It obviously wasn't too long because you don't look any older than the last time I saw you."

Merlin silently contemplated how to break the news to Arthur gently. And after about two minutes of silence Arthur's patience ran out.

"Merlin! Just answer the question. How long was I dead?"

"Fifteen hundred years." The words were barely audible but Arthur still heard them clearly.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Arthur couldn't wrap his mind around what Merlin had said._ Fifteen hundred years? There's no way it could have been that long_. He thought to himself. As the King silently worked through all the turmoil in his head his servant stood patiently at his side.

"So they're all gone?" He finally asked.

"Yes"

"Right then, lets go. . . to your home. You do have a home don't you?" Arthur was determined not to dwell on the new information Merlin had provided and the best way to do that was distraction. Plus he didn't like standing out in the open like they were. He felt to exposed and he didn't have any armor or a sword.

"Of course I have a home why wouldn't I?"

"Well you never know, servants don't make that much money. Especially not ones as useless as you." Arthur shrugged happy with his distraction.

"I'm not a servant and I have plenty of money, you can't live as long as I have without acquiring a small fortune."

"_You_ have a fortune? If you're not a servant what do you _do_?" He asked as if just the thought of Merlin being something other than a servant was ridiculous.

"I'll have you know I have many talents." Merlin said as he turned toward his car. "Come on we can talk about it on the ride home." He waved Arthur along.

Arthur stood there staring at the strange carriage-like contraption that Merlin had climbed into. He didn't know what to make of it. Hesitantly he reached out and touched the smooth surface with his fingertips. It was hard and cold, like metal. Other parts of it were glass. He walked around the carriage trying to see where you attached the horses. Merlin sighed and got out of the car he should have known that Arthur wouldn't just climb into the thing without inspecting it first.

"Why do you have a metal carriage? Isn't it too heavy for the horses to pull? And where are the horses?"

"It doesn't need horses to pull it. It's a. . . horseless-carriage."

"A horseless-carriage? How is that even possible?" Arthur was starting to wonder if Merlin was of sound mind. It would make sense if his extremely long life had caused him to go mad.

Merlin really wasn't in the mood to try to explain how cars worked. To be honest he never really cared much to learn how they worked. It had an engine, you put petrol in it, turned it on with the key and used the pedals to make it stop and go. What more did you need to know? He had tried to learn how to change a tire and repair other small maintenance problems but every time something would come up he'd just use magic to fix it.

"It just is, come on Arthur it's late and I'm tired. I'll try to explain it to you in the morning if you're still curious." Merlin opened the passenger door and motioned for Arthur to get in.

The short ride home was definitely memorable. At first Arthur was surprised at the softness of the seat and the small knobs and dials were quite fascinating. He wasn't sure why Merlin insisted on strapping them both down with the odd ropes but he didn't question. Then the carriage roared a loud angry sound and brightly colored lights lit the interior. Now he knew what the ropes were for: to keep the beast (It had to be some sort of beast to make _that _noise) from spitting them out. He started pulling at the restraints trying to got out of the beast before it got really angry.

"Arthur sit still it's fine I promise." Merlin tried to ease his friends fears with little success.

Twenty minutes later Merlin pulled into the parking garage near his flat. He released both seat belts and Arthur's death grip on his seat loosened.

"We're here." Merlin announced. The King looked at him with wide terrified eyes and nodded slightly.

"Can I get out?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Merlin remarked as he hurriedly climbed out his door and headed for Arthur's. He was going to have to show Arthur how to open his own door, but that could wait for another day.

Arthur hadn't paid much attention to his surrounding while he was still trapped inside the beast but now that he was free he looked around and was horrified to see that they were surrounded by the metal beasts. There had to be at least fifty of them all different colors and sizes and they all appeared to be sleeping. Again he wished for his sword. He followed closely behind Merlin, as he wound his way through the sleeping beasts, doing his best not to wake them.

They came to a wall where Merlin touched a small circle of light and a moment later the wall opened to reveal another room. A small room that Merlin guided Arthur into. The door closed and Arthur was slightly concerned that there was no other way out of the tiny room but Merlin didn't look scared so Arthur decided he wouldn't be afraid either. Or at least he would pretend not to be afraid. The door opened again revealing a long corridor with several doors. The King decided it was best not to ask questions and just go with it. Though he was curious as to how they could enter the small room from one room and then exit, through the same door, into a different room. _It must be some type of sorcery_. He concluded.


	6. Chapter 6

Merlin led the way down the corridor to the last door on the left. He was just about to unlock the his door when the door to the flat across the hall opened and a tired looking Mrs. Finch stepped out in her nightgown. Merlin was curious as to why she was still awake.

"Oh Merlin I thought I heard you out here. I haven't seen you in a few days and I thought something terrible had happened. I was seriously considering calling the police in the morning if you hadn't returned." The old woman had become quite attached to the sorcerer in the few short years she had known him. She had comforted him when his grandfather Ed "died" just six months prior. And she was always bringing him dinner while he studied for his classes. They often chatted in the hallway about her grandchildren and his new internship at the hospital.

"Oh Mrs. Finch I'm so sorry I should have told you I was going away for a few days. I was visiting some of my old school mates. This is Arthur he's thinking of moving to London so I offered to let him stay here for a few days to see if he liked it." Merlin gestured to the quiet blond standing behind him.

"Oh hello Arthur, it's so nice to finally meet one of Merlin's friends. He's been working so hard lately I've wondered if he even has a social life anymore." She laughed.

"That's our Merlin, he's always been a very dedicated worker." Only Merlin noticed the sarcasm in Arthur's remark.

"Well I'm glad to see you're still alive and well Merlin. I know you're a grown man and you can take care of yourself but I worry about you." She gently hugged him and kissed the side of his head like she would with one of her grandchildren. "I'm off to bed now, you boys have a good evening and don't stay up too late."

Arthur stared at Merlin with a raised eyebrow after the old woman had disappeared back inside her home.

"Don't say anything." Merlin warned and then turned to unlock his door.

"I wasn't going to. Unlike you Merlin I do know how to _not_ speak." Arthur chuckled.

**. . . . . . . . . **

"What is that?" Arthur asked for the fifteenth time since entering the flat.

"It's a microwave." Merlin answered exasperated. He'd already had to explain mobile phones, DVDs and DVD players, television, plastic, refrigerators, ovens, and several other modern inventions.

"What does it do?"

"It cooks food. Kind of like the oven. Do you remember the oven?" Merlin pointed at the object he was referring to. Arthur gave him a look that said _of course I remember you just told me what it was a few minutes ago I'm not an idiot. _

"Then why do you need it if you already have something that does the same thing?"

"Because the microwave is faster than the oven." Merlin explained as he put some left over spaghetti in and turned it on. He then grabbed two glasses and filled them with water. Arthur was amazed at the fact that you no longer had to go to a well to get water. Before Merlin finished explaining indoor plumbing the microwave had beeped indicating that the food was done. He dished out two plates and then went to sit down at the table. Arthur poked at his food with the fork for a few minutes not really knowing what to do with it.

"What is this?" He finally asked. He knew he was getting on Merlin's nerves with all the questions and he had tried to tone it down. He hadn't even asked about half of the things he wanted to.

"Its food. You eat it." Merlin said around a mouth full of noodles. Arthur took a few bites and decided that it wasn't that bad.

After they finished their meal Merlin showed Arthur to the spare bedroom and gave him some clean night-clothes. He pointed across the hall to his bedroom saying. "I'll be in there if you need anything." And then disappeared inside the room leaving Arthur alone to prepare for bed.

Merlin was just on the border of sleep when he heard Arthur come into his room. He suppressed a groan.

"Um, one more question." The king asked. "Where's the chamber pot?" Arthur had searched the entire room before finally giving up and going to ask Merlin. He could tell that the warlock was tired and he didn't want to disturb him but when nature calls you can't not answer.

After ten minutes explaining how the toilet worked Merlin was back in bed. With the long day finally catching up with him he fell asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow. For the first time in a long time Merlin didn't have a nightmare. He awoke refreshed and happy to start the next day with his closest and oldest friend.

**A/N This isn't where I wan't the story to end but I'm starting school soon and I won't have as much time on my hands to write. I feel like I'm leaving it in an appropriate place in case I don't get back to it soon. I tried not to leave you on a cliff hanger. I'll try to get back once I get used to my new schedule. Thanks to all of you guys for reading my story. I don't normally like letting other people read what I've written and this was my first fic so I really appreciate your support. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Merlin woke to the sound of the fire alarm going off and smoke seeping under his bedroom door. He threw his blankets off and ran out into the hallway. The acrid smell burning plastic filled his nostrils, the closer he got to the source of the smoke the worse the smell got. As he entered the kitchen he heard a long string of curses leave Arthur's mouth. The man was flailing, the right leg of his trousers had somehow caught fire and he was trying to put it out, in the middle of what used to be Merlin's kitchen. There was a pan on the stove with a package of bacon (plastic and all) in it, the source of the smell Merlin realized. At least half a dozen eggs rolling around on the floor and there were several more that were broken open. A large scorch mark on the wall directly behind the stove and another one on the floor a few feet away from Arthur. The table was several feet away from where it should have been and the chairs were all knocked over. With a few quick words and a flash of gold the King was no longer on fire and the room had set to restoring itself to its proper state.

"What the hell happened?" Merlin asked still in a state of shock from being woken so unconventionally.

"I was trying to make breakfast." Arthur said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck and refused to meet his friends eyes.

It had been a week since Arthur's return and they were still struggling to find the normalcy they both craved. Arthur had also been trying to repay Merlin for everything in anyway he could. Which often led to incidences like this. It started the day after his return with a litany of apologies on Arthur's part and a lot of insisting that there were no grudges held on Merlin's part. When the verbal apologies didn't work Arthur got creative. He tried to do the washing and after asking Merlin several times how the machine worked he finally got it. Or at least he thought he did until all their white clothes came out with a slight blue tint. Merlin just laughed it off good-naturedly and commented with an "at least their not pink."

Arthur was waiting on Merlin hand and foot, well trying to anyways, and at first Merlin thought it was entertaining. But the harder Arthur tried the more things seemed to go awry. This kitchen fiasco was the last straw.

"Ok Arthur stop. I don't need you to make me breakfast, or wash my clothes, or prepare my bath, or anything else. I know that you're just trying to be helpful but enough is enough. You don't have to apologize I never blamed you for anything that happened back then and I don't regret any of it. It was a long time ago. I've come to terms with all the bad stuff and now all I care to remember is the good. You are my friend and I am so happy to have you back. Can we just focus on that?"

"I can't do that Merlin. Where you've had fifteen hundred years to contemplate and marginalize everything that happened I haven't. I've had a week Merlin. A week. And the last thing I remember is realizing just how much you've done for me and knowing I could never make it up to you. You are my oldest and dearest friend and I left you behind. I always prided myself on the fact that I never left a man behind and then I left _you._ So you may not hold me accountable but I can't forgive myself until I know that my debt has been repaid.

Merlin was taken aback by the sudden vulnerability in Arthur's eyes. He'd only ever seen that look a hand full of times and it had never been this prominent before.

"Alright, I get it I truly do Arthur but from now on why don't you stick to things you know like saving lives and being a prat." Arthur laughed and accepted Merlin's attempt to lighten the suddenly somber mood that filled the room.

"I will. Now I'm starving how about you make breakfast and I'll just sit over here." He gestured to the chair as far away from the stove as possible in the small room.

**A/N Sorry I know it's been a while I've been really busy. This is a short chapter but I promise to update soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

Another week passed and they had finally settled into a comfortable arrangement. Merlin did most of the chores and cooking but Arthur helped out whenever he could. He had learned how to use the microwave and was now proficient at making mug brownies (his new favorite thing) He ate at least four a day. Merlin had to tell him to take it easy on the sugary treat or his clothes wouldn't fit for much longer. Not that it really did anything to hinder the kings apatite for the chocolaty goodness.

All in all things were going good for Emrys and the Once and Future King. That is until Arthur opened up a big can of worms Saturday evening. They had been eating dinner while Merlin poured over a book that looked even older than he was, which considering how old he was, was quite impressive. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming and he was trying to see if any of the old prophecy's spoke of what would happen after Arthur's return. He couldn't forget what Kilgarrah had said the last time they spoke. It had been swimming around his mind for the past two weeks and he could no longer ignore the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Arthur had risen which, if he were to believe the dragon, meant that Albion was in trouble. But as far as the Warlock could tell all was right in the world. Yes there were some wars going on in other countries but it wasn't that bad. Well it was bad, war is always bad but Merlin had seen far worse and these wars just seemed so small in comparison.

"I want to go somewhere." Arthur's statement was so out of the blue that it caught Merlin off guard. Merlin looked up a little confused.

"What? Where?"

"I don't know just . . . somewhere . . . not here."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going mad. I've not left this flat in two weeks. I need to get out. Take me with you tomorrow when you go wherever it is you go during the day."

"Arthur I can't take you to work with me." Merlin stated as he turned back to his book. He hoped that that would be the end of the discussion but if he knew Arthur, and he did, then he knew that it wouldn't be that easy.

"Why not?"

"Because it's against the rules." Merlin sighed

"I'm the King. To hell with your stupid rules."

"You _were_ the King Arthur. You're not the King anymore. We don't even have a king right now."

Arthur stood up and walked out of the room effectively conveying his displeasure with his friend's uncooperative behavior. Merlin sighed. _Great now he's angry._

The next day they had the same argument only this time slightly more heated and with more colorful word choices. And the day after that was the same and so on. By the end of the week the two friends weren't speaking to each other. Arthur was angry because he felt like Merlin didn't trust him in the outside world. It reminded him of the times he was confined to his rooms or locked in the dungeon by his father for disobeying. He didn't like it. He was a grown man he should be able to come and go as he pleased. Merlin was angry because Arthur just wouldn't get it through his thick skull that the outside world was dangerous. Especially now when they didn't know what was coming or when it would come. What if something happened to Arthur while Merlin wasn't there to protect him. At least while the King was in the flat Merlin could put a shield up to fortify the walls and all points of entrance. He also cast a spell that wold warn him if anyone tried to enter or exit the flat. He had caught Arthur trying to sneak out in the middle of the night. Which was the cause of their current situation.

Merlin left for his shift at the hospital without a word to Arthur. They were in a battle of wits and the warlock was determined to win. Arthur was surprised that Merlin lasted more than a day without speaking to him but what the King didn't know was that his friend had once gone an entire century without uttering a single word. A few days of silence was nothing to Merlin and he always had been a stubborn idiot. Century upon century had only enforced that aspect of his personality.

**. . . . . . . . . **

In the years since his King had passed Merlin had learned a lot. After the kingdom fell the warlock went out on his own to explore the world. He always came back though, back to the forest where he and Arthur had shared so many journeys, back to the lake where so many loved ones had been laid to rest. He couldn't stay gone for too long, he had to be there when Arthur returned.

There was one century where Merlin didn't go to the lake once and that was the worst century of his terribly long life. By the end of that century he wasn't sure if he really did know King Arthur or if he had just heard about him in the legends. His magic had lead him back to the lake to remind him.

It was midnight on the thirteenth of March in 1959 and as Merlin stood on the bank of the magnificent lake the memories flooded his mind. Every quest, every heart ache, every insult, each and every moment he spent with his king came back to him and that was the final straw.

If anyone had seen him they would have assumed he was just a crazy old man having a mental breakdown and they would have been right.

"Why me?" Merlin asked in a broken voice as he looked up to the sky. "What did I do to deserve this?" His voice cracked from disuse for this was the first time he had spoken aloud in a hundred years.

He waited several moments for an answer that would never come. A violent sob wracked his body as he dropped to his knees. He wanted to scream, to take all the pain, the sorrow, and the guilt and curse whatever divine entity it was that had condemned him to this hell. But all that came was a quiet apology.

"I'm sorry" he whispered "Whatever I did or didn't do to deserve this fate. I'm sorry. Please just. . . " Merlin didn't know what he was asking for or who he was asking, for that matter. He just knew that he was done waiting. He had finally reached his limit.

"Just take this curse from me, please, I don't want to live forever."

"Oh Merlin" A sweet voice pulled him out of the misery induced haze he had been in. He looked up at the owner of the voice and immediately his heart started pounding. She was as beautiful as he remembered.

"Freya?"

"This is not a curse Merlin, it is a gift."

"Gift!" Merlin scoffed incredulously "You call this a gift? Being forced to walk this cruel world alone. Watching everyone" his voice broke on the word "I have ever cared about die and knowing there was _nothing_ I could do. If this is a gift I don't want it."

"It's not that simple Merlin, you still have your destiny to-" Merlin cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

"Destiny? What destiny? In case you haven't noticed Arthur is _dead. _They're all dead. Gwen, Gaius, Lancelot, Gwaine, Leon, Percival, Elyan, my mother, you.I am all alone. How am I supposed to fulfill my_ destiny_ by myself?"

"You won't have to do it alone. Just a while longer and." She was cut off yet again by the irate sorcerer.

"How long? Another century? Two?" She looked at him with sad apologetic eyes. "I'm tired Freya, and I don't want to do this anymore. Please, can't you let me die in peace?"

"I'm sorry Merlin." Merlin took that answer as a no.

Who ever it was in charge of his destiny, his life, they wouldn't let him die. After all he had done for them, everything he sacrificed. He still wasn't granted the one thing he wanted: a peaceful, happy life followed by a peaceful death. He deserved at least that much. Didn't he?

**. . . . . . .**

Arthur was blissfully unaware of the mental torture his friend had undergone less than a hundred years before his return to the land of the living. Had he known he might not have pushed so hard. Maybe he would have understood why Merlin was so determined to keep him safe. Because if Merlin were being honest it wasn't just about keeping Arthur safe it was also to keep himself safe. The Warlock knew that he couldn't bear losing Arthur again, not after everything he'd been through. If that meant that he sometimes became a little overbearing then so be it. So when Merlin returned home later that evening to an Arthurless flat he lost it.


	9. Chapter 9

"If he's not dead already, I'm gonna kill him." Merlin mumbled as he drove through the streets of London. It had been dark for a few hours and the warlock was really starting to get worried. At first he had panicked when he found the flat empty. It was his worst nightmare come true. He started to wonder if he was even sane. If the time spent with Arthur had been real or if it was just a very real and long lasting hallucination. If Arthur wasn't there did that mean that he had never been there? No, no that wasn't right Arthur had come back and if he wasn't in the flat it meant that he was in some sort of trouble. The man continued to search for his friend all the while thinking up the best forms of torture to teach Arthur a lesson. Just as Merlin was contemplating how he would go about turning Arthur into a hamster he caught sight of the wayward king.

Arthur was running as fast as he could down the street. Dodging people as he went and clipping the side of a parked car before careening right past Merlin who watched with a bewildered expression as his friend raced away. Not two seconds later an invisible force followed the Kings hazardous path. Merlin wouldn't have even known there was something chasing Arthur if he hadn't seen the thing smash into the same parked car Arthur had run into.

**. . . . . . . .**

Arthur couldn't believe his luck, not good luck mind you, as he ran for his life. Hadn't he already done this enough? Shouldn't excursions such as this be a part of the past? He was dead, technically, well at least as far as the world knew. He found himself wondering if he was still considered dead even though he had come back to life. Maybe he was one of those zombie things like on the movie he had watched earlier. This thought only helped to answer his earlier question. Yes he had done this enough, in fact he'd had to run for his life more times than any normal person should ever have to. A normal person while running from an invisible monster would be thinking only about their current predicament and how they were going to survive. They would not be contemplating the possibility of being a zombie unless perhaps they were being chased by a zombie. But seeing as that wasn't the case here. . .

Arthur had only wanted an hour or two exploring the outside world. He had not anticipated this . . . thing, whatever it was. He'd taken a stroll through a near by park minding his own business, not looking for trouble or bothering anyone. He eventually found a nice bench and decided to just sit for a while and observe this new world. He had learned a lot from Merlin about the modern world and once he discovered television his knowledge increased tenfold. But nothing beat the firsthand experience he would gain by actually going out and exploring for himself. Merlin didn't seem to understand that.

What Arthur didn't know was that, while he was watching people interact and utilize the astounding technology that had come about in the past fifteen hundred years, he was being watched.

The woman sitting just a few yards away didn't look the least bit threatening. She actually looked quite normal, average almost. Shoulder length, light brown hair, a little on the short side as far as height was concerned, regular clothing. There was nothing about this woman that would indicate a need for caution around her but Arthur found her presence slightly concerning. He told himself that he was just being paranoid, there was no reason to be afraid of a simple woman. Even so he got up a few minutes later and tried to find a new bench farther away from her.

Soon Arthur got lost in his thoughts and in turn lost track of time. He truly had planned on being back before Merlin got home. He would slip in and pretend that he'd been there all day, no one would be the wiser. He noticed that the park was a lot more empty than it was when he'd first arrived. There were no mothers pushing their children around in the wheeled child restraining contraptions. No dogs chasing sticks or balls. No gossiping old women sitting on benches. In fact he was the only person in the park. He looked at the watch Merlin had given him (and taught him how to use) and realized how late it was. Merlin would be back any minute now and he would not be happy to find Arthur missing.

Arthur hurried back toward Merlin's flat hoping that he could get there before the warlock did. Not because he was afraid of Merlin though but because he didn't want his friend to worry. At least that's what he told himself. There was a small part of him however that was secretly afraid of what the warlock could do to him. Just before he reached the entrance to the park he ran into something.

It was warm, whatever it was. After the initial shock of bumping into something that wasn't there Arthur reached out to touch the invisible thing in front of him. It was soft as well. Warm and soft, like some type of animal. That's what it was. It felt like an animal with fur and it was quite large. He felt its breath ruffle his hair as it towered over him and then he heard the unmistakable sound of a growl. Two things became painfully clear. One, this invisible animal was not nice and two, it was blocking his way out of the park. Arthur started to back up slowly trying to remember where he had seen another entrance. Maybe if he didn't make any sudden movements the monster wouldn't chase him.

And that's how the Once and Future King found himself running through the streets, dodging the few people who were still out this late, and thinking about the prospect of becoming a zombie.

**. . . . . . . . **

Merlin sat in his car for a few seconds staring after Arthur before the shock wore off and he realized that he should probably go and help his friend.

"What has he gotten himself into now?" He sighed as he followed Arthur and his invisible assailant. He paid no mind to the woman watching with far too much interest for a normal bystander.

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up I would like to lie and say I've been really busy with homework and important stuff like that but the truth is I spent all of the time I could have been writing watching Agents of Shield and Sleepy Hallow. Plus new episodes of Bones and Criminal minds. I'm a terrible human being. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with my story this long. **


	10. Chapter 10

Merlin rounded the corner he'd seen Arthur disappear around a few minutes earlier and found the King backed up against a wall. He couldn't see the creature but he could definitely tell where it was. It's hot breath ruffling Arthur's hair and large drops of saliva dripping on the ground near his feet. It's breath was rancid and Arthur was doing his best to keep calm. He hadn't noticed Merlin yet and he was lost as to how he was going to get out of this one.

There was a flash and suddenly the beast was on fire and the two men could see it's body as it was engulfed in the flames. It was larger than either Merlin or Arthur would have guessed. It was loud as well. The high pitched howl that came from the monster was unlike anything either of them had heard before. The smell of burning flesh saturated the area and both men covered their noses in hopes of blocking the scent.

"What the hell was that?" Arthur gasped after the creature was dead.

"That's what I'd like to know. What did you do?" Merlin was furious now that the concern for his friend had worn off.

"What did_ I _do? I didn't do anything. I was just enjoying a nice afternoon at the park."

"You must have done something. Giant, invisible, monsters don't just attack people in parks for no reason." Merlin shouted, drawing the attention of a passerby. "Never mind we'll talk about it when we get home." He whispered and gestured to the curious onlooker. Arthur, understanding his meaning, nodded in agreement and quickly climbed into the car. The ride home was tense with Merlin's silent fuming.

"Thank you." Arthur said finally. He knew the best way to start asking for forgiveness was by thanking Merlin for saving his life, again.

Merlin sighed and turned off the car. "Well I couldn't just leave you out there, with no weapon or armor, to face that thing."

"I'm sorry for leaving the flat. I just couldn't take being inside all day and I honestly didn't think anything bad would happen if I went to the park for a few hours." Arthur grumbled.

"No, there's nothing to be sorry for. I understand the need to get out and I should have been more accommodating. I know this wasn't completely your fault. In fact I've been expecting something for quite some time now I just didn't know what it would be or when it would happen."

"What do you mean?"

"Well after you . . . um after you . . ."

"Died?"

"Yeah after that, the uh, the dragon told me that 'when Albion's need is greatest' you would rise again. So I figured since you've come back that must mean that Albion is in need."

Arthur pondered this new information for a few minutes. "So you think that monster has something to do with why I'm here?"

"I don't know but it seems like too much of a coincidence for that thing to show up just weeks after you've come back from the dead. Don't you think? And the fact that it singled you out has to mean something. Was there anything going on before it showed up? Any strange people? Odd sounds? Anything out of the ordinary?" Merlin asked

"Not that I know of, I don't go out much Merlin and I've been dead for the past fifteen hundred years how am I supposed to know what normal is?

"Your right those were stupid questions." Merlin sighed. He wasn't going to get much helpful information out of Arthur.

**. . . . . . . .**

The rest of the week was fairly normal for the warlock and king. Merlin continued to search through his books, with Arthur's help this time. Neither of them could find anything about giant, invisible beasts.

"This is useless." Arthur said as he shoved the large book away. He was getting discouraged.

"I think we should be done for tonight. We're never going to find anything in this state of mind. Why don't we go out, get some food, and regroup. Well start fresh tomorrow." Merlin said as he closed his own book.

"Really? We're going out?" Arthur was suddenly in a much better mood. He hadn't been outside since the incident and was more than willing to leave the flat for a few hours. In fact he wouldn't mind if he never saw the flat again. He started thinking of ways he could talk Merlin into moving. He didn't care if they just moved to the building across the street as long as he didn't have to live in this flat any longer.

They decided to go to a restaurant not too far from home. Arthur enjoyed the experience far too much but he didn't care. Even when a woman at the table next to them commented on what a lovely couple they were. Merlin was floundering trying to explain that they were just friends but Arthur just waved it off. He had been a little startled a few weeks earlier when Merlin explained that in this day and age same sex couples were quite common. But he'd also become more open minded since his return to the living and he didn't see anything wrong with it. He didn't personally find Merlin, or any other man, attractive but he didn't feel the need to correct the woman. _Let them believe what they want, _was his new motto. After a second Merlin decided to let it go as well.

Not long after their awkward conversation there was a loud ruckus coming from the kitchen. Every one turned to see what was causing the noise and suddenly a large goose came barreling out of the kitchen with several of the staff chasing after it. The entire restaurant broke out in hysterics as the animal ran wild between and under the tables and chairs. A woman screamed when it ran past her which only helped in frightening the creature further, all the while her dinner companion was clutching his stomach and laughing loudly.

Arthur jumped up to help wrangle the animal and Merlin scrambled to his feet to stop the king. They really shouldn't draw attention to themselves. Arthur was faster though and was off after the goose before Merlin could catch him. It didn't take Arthur long to restrain the creature and the owner of the establishment thanked him greatly, offering him and his date a free meal.

"Well that was interesting." Arthur said as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen that much chaos." Merlin mumbled. Suddenly a thought hit him and he wondered why he hadn't thought about it earlier.

"Why was there a goose in the restaurant in the first place?" He voiced out loud. Keeping live animals in the kitchen had to be against some sort of food law code didn't it?

"They were probably going to cook it." Arthur said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, really?" Merlin said sarcastically. "but why was it still alive? Normally they have people who kill and skin, or pluck, the animals before they're taken to the restaurants."

"I don't know Merlin why is it so-" Arthur stopped speaking and just stared across the street. Merlin turned to see what had caught Arthur's attention. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Just a few people, some parked cars, a few shops, nothing that explained the kings behavior.

"Arthur what is it?" Merlin asked as he turned back to his friend. Arthur wasn't there anymore. The warlock panicked and looked around. He hadn't heard Arthur move it was almost as if the man had just disappeared. Then he felt a tug at his sleeve and he looked down to find a small boy in clothes that were way too large.

**A/N: Dudes I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted. Midterms came out of nowhere last week and I had a class presentation, two papers and a test plus a bunch of other stuff. Also there was a small case of writers block and I wasn't sure where I was going with this story but it's better now. I'll try to get the next chapter posted sometime this week because it's fall break and I don't have classes till Monday. Might as well use the time to work on this right?**


	11. Chapter 11

The boy was short, blond, and his clothes looked suspiciously like the ones Arthur was wearing earlier. He couldn't have been more than two.

"Oh hell." Merlin muttered to himself and then bent down to talk to the child. "Arthur?"

The boy looked up at the sound of his name being called, his large blue eyes starting to shimmer with unshed tears.

"Oh no no no no don't cry. You're alright." Merlin tried to sooth the child.

And he thought drawing attention earlier in the restaurant was bad. If anyone saw him with a crying child wearing a man's clothing that could be really bad. They would question whether or not he was the rightful guardian of the child. He could get arrested for kidnapping. He used his magic to slow down time and then he scooped up the boy and his clothing and hurriedly put him in the car. He then climbed into the drivers seat and let the time speed up to its normal pace again.

Merlin was glad he'd strapped Arthur in with the seat belt because the toddler was not happy with his current predicament. He was pulling at the restraints and screaming so loud Merlin thought his eardrums might burst.

"You're alright Arthur, I promise we'll figure this out."

After about an hour of driving around trying to figure out what to do (Merlin knew he couldn't take Arthur back home. His neighbors might get suspicious if they heard a screaming child in his flat.) Arthur finally fell to sleep. The sudden quiet was a blessing and Merlin used his time to come up with a plan. He was going to change Arthur back, it just might take some time to figure out how and until then he needed to deal with a two year old Arthur. The child would obviously need clothing and maybe some toys to keep him entertained. Anything to keep him from screaming. The warlock racked his brain for anything else a child might need.

They stopped at a shopping center and Merlin carried the sleeping child in, all the while hoping he stayed asleep. It seemed luck was on his side for the moment. Arthur only stirred for a moment when Merlin lifted him out of the car and then rested his head on the warlocks shoulder and went right back to sleep. Once inside Merlin headed to the nearest clothing store and grabbed what he hoped would be enough clothes and a pair of shoes. He also grabbed some clothes for himself to help with his cover story in case anyone asked. They had just moved and their luggage had been lost at the airport and the rest of their belongings wouldn't be there for another day or two. He then stopped by a toy store and bought a plastic sword, a stuffed bear, some colorful things that made noise and lit up. Hopefully that would be enough to entertain Arthur until he could figure out how to change him back.

Merlin got Arthur and all of their new belongings into the car and headed back to his flat hoping that when he got there he could sneak in without anyone, especially Mrs. Finch, noticing. He got half way home when a thought occurred to him. Two year old Arthur might not be toilet trained. Merlin groaned. He definitely didn't want to deal with nappies but it looked like he had no choice at this point. He made a quick stop to pick up those as well and then continued home.

**. . . . . . **

"How did this happen?" Merlin groaned as he looked through his books for a way to fix Arthur.

He'd successfully smuggled Arthur in to his flat a few hours earlier and the boy was now sleeping in his bed peacefully. Merlin had put a barrier around the flat to sound proof it so no one would hear the child and then set to work on a cure. He found a few spells and potions that had to do with aging but he wasn't sure which one to use and unless he knew how Arthur was changed in the first place he wouldn't be able to change him back.

A small cry came from down the hall and Merlin ran to check on his friend. Arthur was sitting in the middle of the bed that was far too large for such a small child, with tears were streaming down his face. He'd never been outside of the palace without his father or his nursemaid and now he was alone in a new place.

"It's alright Arthur. You're gonna be just fine I promise." Merlin murmured as he picked up the toddler. Arthur's cries only intensified at the presence of the stranger and he struggled against Merlin's hold. But, after a while Arthur settled down. The man didn't seem like he wanted to hurt Arthur, and the boy was so frightened he figured being with the dark haired man was probably safer than being alone.

"Where my daddy?" The boy asked in a quiet voice that was just so unlike Arthur it made Merlin nervous.

"He uh . . . He had to go away to a neighboring kingdom and he asked me to look after you." Merlin lied hoping the toddler believed him.

"When he be back?"

"Soon"

"Oh" Arthur appeared to be contemplating this new information. "wha's you name?"

"I'm Merlin."

"Mewin?" Arthur spoke as if he were testing the name out.

"Close enough." The warlock mumbled. "Now why don't you go back to sleep and in the morning we'll figure out what's going on." He started to lay Arthur back down in the bed but the boy clung to his shirt like his life depended on it.

"Noooo" Arthur cried "No seep, No seep"

Merlin sighed and stood straight, not wanting to attempt prying the tiny hands off of his shirt and have the tantrum escalate.

"Arthur it's the middle of the night you need to go to sleep." He tried to reason with the child.

"No" came the short reply.

"Aren't you tired? I know I am." Merlin tried using a technique that worked on Arthur's children when they were toddlers. He pretended to yawn which in turn made the two year old yawn.

"No" he mumbled against the warlocks shoulder as his eyelids started to droop.

"This bed looks so soft and warm. I think I'm gonna lie down for a minute." Merlin climbed into the bed and proceeded to find a comfortable position to lie in while still allowing Arthur to cling to his shirt. The small boy had a surprisingly strong grip and probably wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

Merlin hadn't realized just how tired he was until his head hit the pillow. He hoped Arthur would be in a deep sleep soon so that he could get up and go to his own bed without waking him. But as it turned out Arthur had a stronger will than Merlin anticipated and every time the warlock moved the boys eyes would open and his grip would tighten. He wasn't letting Merlin go and after nearly an hour of waiting Merlin drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Six days. It had been six days and still Merlin hadn't found anything on how to turn Arthur back. He was sitting on the floor next to the bathtub while Arthur played with his new toys in the water. He'd been in the bath for nearly five minutes and the floor, and Merlin, were surprisingly still dry. A new record.

Arthur loved his bath toys, he loved all his toy actually. He'd never had this many toys at home, and none of them were this much fun. Although he missed his nursemaid and Gaius and maybe his father, just a little bit, he really liked Merlin. Merlin dressed him in clothes that weren't itchy, he gave him lots of toys and let him play whenever he wanted to, he made really yummy food, and if Arthur had a bad dream he could climb into Merlin's bed and he wouldn't get mad and tell him to go back to his room like father did.

"Wook Mewin, i's a fish" Arthur called excitedly as he made the plastic fish swim around in circles.

"Wow how did a fish get in your bath?" Merlin asked with pretend shock.

"Magic" The toddler exclaimed happily. He had seen Merlin use magic a few days before and had been fascinated with it ever since. Merlin smiled sadly at the giggling toddler. If only he had been exposed to good magic as a child instead of taught to hate all magic. Both of their lives could have been so much simpler.

"Oh no, i's a scawy monstuw. Ahhh." Arthur screamed as he made a toy squid attack the toy fish. The thrashing of the toys continued until the fish finally surrendered and Merlin's shirt was thoroughly soaked.

"I done" The toddler announced as soon as he'd calmed down.

"Alright let me get a towel."

Ten minutes later Arthur was dried and in a pair of iron man pyjamas sitting in the middle of his bed and waiting for Merlin to come tell him a story. The warlock used a towel to quickly mop up the water on the bathroom floor and then changed out of his wet clothes before going back to Arthur's room. Arthur patted a spot next to him on the bed and Merlin quickly followed the child's unspoken command. As soon as he was settled Arthur cuddled into his side and all but demanded a story.

"Once upon a time there was a young prince who did a very foolish thing." Merlin began. Arthur loved stories about the prince and his man-servant and Merlin loved retelling their adventures to the young king. Of course he changed a few details to make some of the stories more child appropriate. He was currently telling the child of the time he'd killed the unicorn and had to save the kingdom. Arthur was fascinated, though he'd heard the story before he still reacted with small gasps when something bad happened and giggles when something good happened.

"Because of the prince's willingness to give his life to save his servant the curse was broken and the kingdom was saved." Merlin finished and noticed that Arthur didn't comment or ask for another like he normally did at the end of a story.

Glancing down he realized that the toddler had drifted off during the story. The warlock smiled slightly at the sight and gently ran his fingers through Arthur's fine, baby, hair. He just looked so innocent tucked into Merlin's side and clutching a fist full of his shirt. The thought of anyone ever wanting to hurt this sweet little boy was appalling to Merlin.

**. . . . . . . . **

"Remind me again why we had to turn him into a child."

"Because we need an innocent soul to complete the spell."

"Why did it have to be him though? We could have chosen any child. Why go through the trouble of turning Arthur Pendragon into a child?"

"Because if he's an adult he'll be able to stop us."

"We could have just killed him."

"We tried that remember. Emrys saved him. He killed Jeff!"

"Oh would you get over it already it was just a barghest."

"Jeff was not _just_ a barghest. He was _my_ barghest and he was special."

"Whatever. Your stupid beast cost us precious time and now we only have three days to get to Arthur and in case you haven't notice Emrys is even more protective now. They haven't left the flat in days, and we can't get in. Not with that barrier he's got up."

"Well if you had taken the boy right after he turned we wouldn't have this problem."

"How was I supposed to take him? He was standing right next to Emrys. If I'd tried anything the warlock would have killed me."

"Why do you even have magic if you don't know how to fend off one old sorcerer?"

"Don't you start. You know as well as I do that Emrys isn't just an _old sorcerer_."

"Well what are we going to do? We have to think of some way to lure them out of that blasted flat."


	13. Chapter 13

"Dis one" Arthur pointed to the movie he wanted to watch.

"Arthur we watched that one this morning. Don't you want to watch something else?"

"No" Merlin groaned as he put Disney's The Sword in the Stone in and pressed play. It was quickly becoming Arthur's favorite. Mainly because it had a wizard named Merlin, a boy named Arthur, and talking animals. Merlin should have been happy, this was only the second time they'd watched it today. Yesterday he was forced to watch the movie five times.

_At least he'll be entertained for a while. _Merlin thought as he pulled yet another old book from it's shelf and began skimming the pages for an answer to their little problem. He couldn't shake the dream he'd had the night before. After he'd put Arthur to bed he found a spell for hindsight and thought it might actually help him figure out why Arthur had changed or better yet who had changed him. It didn't appear to do anything at least not at first. It wasn't until hours later when he'd finally given up and decided to go to bed.

He couldn't quite remember the dream. He knew that something important happened and it was right there under the surface but he couldn't remember it. Two people were talking and he knew he should be paying attention to what they were saying but he only caught bits and pieces. He went over what he did remember trying to piece things together

". . . we need an innocent soul to complete the spell."

"Why did it have to be him though? We could have chosen any child. Why go through the trouble of turning Arthur Pendragon into a child?"

" . . . He killed Jeff!"

" . . . we only have three days . . . Not with that barrier he's got up."

"Why do you even have magic if you don't know how to fend off one old sorcerer?"

Thanks to his spell Merlin now knew that Arthur's sudden change was not an accident and there were two people behind it. One of them was clearly a woman bu the other he couldn't tell. The voice was scratchy and muffled. He also knew they needed a child for whatever they had planned and it didn't necessarily have to be Arthur. This sounded more like vengeance than anything else if they thought Arthur killed this Jeff person. Which was ridiculous Arthur hadn't killed anyone, at least not in this life. But they knew who he was so maybe they weren't from this life. Maybe Jeff was a sorcerer that Arthur executed back when he still believed magic to be evil. But then how would they still be alive? Well the woman does have magic.

Merlin's head was starting to hurt from the mental discussion he was having with himself. He only had three days to figure this thing out and could find nothing in any of his books. His attention was suddenly drawn to the screen as the cartoon Arthur pulled the sword from the stone. The real Arthur was happily following along, pulling his plastic sword from between the couch cushions. Merlin smiled fondly at the boy while rolling his eyes at the inaccuracies in the film.

"How about some lunch Arthur?" The warlock asked as he stood up. He needed to take a break and eat something or he'd have a full blown headache for the rest of the day.

There was a knock at the door and Merlin walked hesitantly towards it hoping that it was just Mrs. Finch coming to check up on him. He didn't really have many friends and Mrs. Finch was the only neighbor he ever talked to. So if it wasn't her then that didn't leave many options and one of those options were the people after Arthur. He remembered something about only having three days so he figured if he and Arthur stayed inside and didn't open the door to strangers for the next three days they'd be safe. He silently cursed his door for not having a peephole so he could see who was on the other side. The person knocked again and this time he heard Mrs. Finch's voice call his name. With a sigh of relief he opened the door to see his neighbor with an envelope addressed to him.

"This was left on my door this morning. They must have made a mistake." She smiled sweetly as she handed it to him.

"Oh, uh, thanks Mrs. Finch." At this point Arthur had come to investigate the visitor. He had half his body hidden behind the warlock and one chubby little arm wrapped around his right leg.

"Oh, Who's this?" She smiled at the toddler.

"He's uh, Arthur's nephew. His mother just dropped him off a few hours ago she needed us to, uh . . . watch him for a bit." He said hoping Arthur wouldn't correct him and reveal that he'd lied. Anyone who's been around young children knows that when you lie in front of them and they know you're lying they will correct you. But, luckily for Merlin, Arthur was too shy to speak to the stranger.

"Well hello. What's your name?" Arthur mumbled his name into the back of Merlin's leg while refusing to make eye contact with the woman.

"Arthur, his name is Arthur." Merlin translated.

"Oh, how sweet his mother named him after his uncle? They must be really close."

"Yeah, they are." Merlin said with a tight smile. "Well we'd better let you go. Arthur was just in the middle of a movie that I'm pretty sure he wants to get back to and I need to make lunch."

"Alright, I'll see you later dear. Goodby Arthur and you tell your uncle hello for me." She waved and then turned back to her door.

"Glad that's over." Merlin murmured as he opened the envelope. A mysterious yellow dust poured out as soon as the flap was lifted and surrounded the warlock. He choked on the dust and his vision became blurry. The last thing he remembered was hitting the floor and Arthur's scared voice calling his name.

**. . . . . . . . **

"Grab the boy Alodia, we only have a few minutes before Emrys wakes up."

"You grab him Elswyth, he keeps kicking me." She groused.

"Oh you're useless." She grumbled as she tried to grab hold of the struggling toddler. "Shut up or I'll give you something to scream about you little brat." That only succeeded in making the child cry louder.

"Make him stop! He's going to draw attention." Alodia said as she covered her ears.

The older woman, Elswyth, finally got a firm grip on Arthur and quickly covered his mouth to silence the shrill screaming. Within seconds they were out the door leaving an unconscious Merlin behind. Arthur's tear filled eyes stayed locked on the warlock until he could no longer see him.


	14. Chapter 14

Merlin's head felt like it was going to implode. He sat up and looked around the room trying to remember why he was on the floor._ Arthur!_ The thought burst through his muddled brain and he frantically looked around for the boy.

"No"

The warlock quickly got to his feet and ran through the flat checking every room. He knew it was useless. Arthur wasn't there. Without a seconds hesitation he ran out the door. He knew that he couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes. He recognized the powder as soon as he saw it but not soon enough to counteract it's effects. It was a simple but effective way of rendering someone unconscious it's only downfall was that it never lasted more than thirty minutes. Which meant they couldn't be far unless they used a transport spell and that was highly unlikely.

Merlin stepped out side trying to figure out which way to go when he saw a car swerve around the corner to his left. In the rear window he saw Arthur's chubby little face and then it was gone. The man sprinted towards the direction he'd seen the car go.

**. . . . . . . . **

"Mewin, I wan' Mewin" the boy cried as the car sped down the street.

"Shut him up!" Elswyth growled from the drivers seat.

"Oh and how do you suggest I do that." Alodia asked as she tried to contain the struggling child.

"I don't know. Give him some sweets or knock him unconscious. I don't care what you do as long as he shuts up." Alodia searched around the back seat for something to help quiet the young king when her eyes fell on a scarf stuffed under the seat. She quickly snatched it up and used it to gag the boy. He was still able to make some noise but it was a big improvement to the constant stream of "Mewin Mewin" that had been coming from kid since they'd taken him.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up to a large house with a security gate blocking the entrance. Elswyth typed a number into the keypad and the gate opened granting entrance to the large property. Once they were inside and the gate had closed Elswyth whispered a spell and the gate lit up for a few seconds as the magic coursed through it. No one would be getting through it anytime soon. A man was waiting on the steps at the top of the driveway. He wasn't very tall and he was very skinny. Skinnier than Merlin with cropped white hair and a broad, frightening, smirk on his face.

"Elswyth, Alodia, I wasn't expecting you back so soon. I take it you have the young Pendragon?" The man barely waited for the two women to exit the car before he began questioning them.

"Yes, we have him right here."

"And the warlock? I trust he's been taken care of?"

"N-Not exactly Tredan see, we uh, we didn't have time to . . . " Alodia trailed of when she saw the hostile look on the mans face.

"We had to make a choice. Secure the child and get back here in time to complete the spell or deal with the warlock." Elswyth stepped in taking the man's attention from Alodia.

"I see. We'll have to make sure he doesn't find us now won't we?" Tredan didn't look pleased but said no more on the subject. "So this is the _great _King Arthur?" He said as he peered into the car.

"Hard to believe isn't it?"

Arthur glared at the three adults while they discussed what there next move was. It didn't take them long to come to a decision, and then wrestle the petulant toddler out of the vehicle and into a tiny locked room on the second floor of the massive house. They left him there on the hard wood floor, still gagged, while they went to prepare. Arthur felt like he'd been alone in the room forever when a loud crashing sound came from the floor below. Followed by several shouts and an ear-splitting scream.

**. . . . . . . . **

Over the years Merlin had become an excellent tracker and he'd found the house just in time to watch them carry a struggling Arthur inside. It was easy to tell that the gate had been enchanted and he didn't want to waste precious time trying to break the enchantment. He circled the property looking for a weakness in their defenses. Merlin had to hand it to them. They were good but not as good as he was. All it took was a little effort and he was in.

The lithe man snuck up to the house and peered into a window. The three adults were coming down the stairs and they appeared to be arguing about something. They didn't have Arthur with them though so Merlin figured they deposited him somewhere secure and they would fetch him when they needed him.

A twig snapped behind the warlock and he turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the massive hulk of a man before he was knocked out. For the second time that day Merlin woke with a splitting headache. Only this time he was tied to a chair and there was a skinny man with white hair sitting across from him. He inconspicuously tested his restraints to see how hard it would be to escape.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Those ropes are enchanted and the more you struggle the tighter they get. I've seen people struggle to the point of asphyxiation because the ropes got too tight." The man said with a casual tone. These people were better than Merlin had initially thought.

"Yes but none of them were me."

"Oh? And what makes you so special?" Tredan came to stand in front of Merlin, leaning down to appear intimidating.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Before he could answer Merlin blasted him back and then quickly started reciting a spell to loosen the ropes.

The noise brought the women and beast of a man running into the room. Merlin had to stop mid spell to blast them back as well. Which resulted in the ropes getting tighter. Tredan groaned and slowly got to his feet. His carefully constructed façade had fallen and he was no longer the polite, civil, man. He leveled the warlock with an icy glare. _If looks could kill. . ._ thought Merlin.

"Get up you imbeciles." He snarled at his accomplices.

Merlin tried to blast them back again but the ropes were so tight he could barely breathe and the lack of oxygen made it hard to concentrate. The warlock started panicking and struggling against the restraints. Logically he knew that struggling would hurt more than it would help but when the brain is deprived of oxygen for too long all logic thought goes out the window.

Just before he lost consciousness his magic lashed out. A burning white light filled the room completely obliterating the four other people there. The last thing he heard was a shrill scream coming from one of the women.


End file.
